On Tuesday, September 23, 2003, at 01:57 AM, Pluto77189@aol.com wrote:
styracosaurus's spiky frill is actually in a better place for intraspecific fighting than the nose horn. I do not think they had necks as flexible as modern herd animals necessary to use them as such. Look at ibex, oryx and other gazelle-looking ungulates, their horns point backwards too.
But none of these also has a two-foot spike thrusting forth from its nose.
The ceratopsian horns were undoubtedly a display as well, as is most ornamentation in animals. Bigger horns take time to grow, and are indicators of strength.
Even as hefty, well-defined muscles on a human male assist in beating up rivals (intraspecific fighting), while being simultaneously attractive to females.
Very few female chameleons have horns, and the ones that do tend to fight other females(which hornless ones don't, and usually get along). Animals with horned males AND females have usually developed their horns for multi-use purposes. (elephant tusks, rhino horns, buffalo horns) They "USE" them a lot.
It's through continuous use that these appendages have evolved to the lengths they've attained.
they MIGHT have used that little nose horn for feeding(diggin stuff up or whatever) but those two others would probably be more useful for "largest predator on earth deterrent" than anythin else...
I reckon so!
Peter M